《牧羊少年奇幻之旅》 09 男孩离开老妇人

The boy was surprised, and then irritated¹. He didn't need to seek out the old woman for this!

男孩感到有点意外，然后又很气愤。要是为这样一个解释，他根本没必要来找这老妇人。

But then he remembered that he wasn't going to have to pay anything.

好歹最后他想起来，自己并未付任何费用。

"I didn't need to waste my time just for this," he said.

“我没必要浪费时间来听这样的解释。”他说。

"I told you that your dream was a difficult one.

“所以我先前就对你说过，你的梦非常难解。

It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them.

简单的事情往往最异乎寻常，只有智者才能看透。

And since I am not wise, I have had to learn other arts, such as the reading of palms²."

我不是智者，所以必须有其他的能耐，比如看手相。”

"Well, how am I going to get to Egypt?"

“那么，我怎样才能到埃及呢？”

"I only interpret³ dreams. I don't know how to turn them into reality. That's why I have to live off what my daughters provide me with."

“我只管解梦，不会把梦变成现实。因此，我只能依靠女儿们养活。”

"And what if I never get to Egypt?"

“如果我到不了埃及呢？”

"Then I don't get paid. It wouldn't be the first time."

“那我就拿不到酬金了。这是常事。”

And the woman told the boy to leave, saying she had already wasted too much time with him.

之后，老妇人没再说什么。她让男孩离开，因为她在他身上花费的时间已经够多了。

So the boy was disappointed⁴; he decided⁵ that he would never again believe in dreams.

圣地亚哥失望地走了，他决定永远不再相信梦。

He remembered that he had a number of things he had to take care of:

想起还有几件事需要办，

he went to the market for something to eat, he traded his book for one that was thicker,

他先去商店买了些吃的，又用手上的书换了一本更厚的书，

and he found a bench in the plaza⁶ where he could sample the new wine he had bought.

然后坐在公园里一条长凳上品尝刚买来的新酿葡萄酒。

The day was hot, and the wine was refreshing⁷.

是个大热天，葡萄酒使他的身体凉爽了些。

The sheep were at the gates of the city, in a stable⁸ that belonged to a friend.

羊群留在了城门外，关在他的一个朋友家的羊圈里。

The boy knew a lot of people in the city.

在那一带，他认识很多人。

That was what made traveling appeal to him—he always made new friends, and he didn't need to spend all of his time with them.

这正是他喜欢云游四方的原因，因为总能结交新明友，而且不必天天跟他们低头不见抬头见。

When someone sees the same people every day, as had happened with him at the seminary,

当总是面对同样的面孔，像在神学院里那样，

they wind up becoming a part of that person's life.

就会渐渐让那些人成为生活的一部分。

And then they want the person to change.

而由于他们是你生活的一部分，当然就想改变你的生活。

If someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry.

如果你不像他们所期望的那样，他们就会不高兴。

Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.

因为，对于该怎样生活，所有人都有固定的观念。但是他们对于自己该怎样生活却一头雾水。

He decided to wait until the sun had sunk a bit lower⁹ in the sky before following his flock¹⁰ back through the fields.

他决定等日头落一落，再领着羊群继续赶路。

Three days from now, he would be with the merchant's daughter.

再过三天，他就能见到那个女孩了。

He started to read the book he had bought. On the very first page it described a burial¹¹ ceremony.

他开始阅读那本换来的书。开卷第一页讲的是一场葬礼。

And the names of the people involved were very difficult to pronounce.

人物的名字十分复杂。

If he ever wrote a book, he thought, he would present one person at a time, so that the reader wouldn't have to worry about memorizing a lot of names.

男孩想，倘若有一天我写书，就只写一个人物，好让读者不必费心去记人名。

1 irritated   

a.恼怒的

参考例句：

• His little affectations irritated her. 他的装腔作势令她不快。
• Her genteel accent irritated me. 她那矫揉造作的腔调使我感到难受。

2 palms   

n.胜利( palm的名词复数 )；（象征胜利的）棕榈叶；（四足动物的）前足掌

参考例句：

• He spread his palms in a gesture of openness. 他展开手掌，以示坦诚。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His palms were excoriated by the hard labor of shoveling. 他的手掌因干挖土的活儿而磨破了皮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 interpret   

vt.解释，说明，理解；vi.作口译

参考例句：

• We have to interpret his words in a modern light.我们不得不用现代观点来解释他的话。
• Please interpret the comments of our foreign guest.请把外宾的话翻译一下。

4 disappointed   

adj.失望的，不满意的，不如意的

参考例句：

• He seemed disappointed when the man refused his request.当那个人拒绝了他的要求时他看起来很失望。
• He was disappointed so often that he became hopeless.他屡次失望，以致变为了绝望。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

7 refreshing   

adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的

参考例句：

• I find it'so refreshing to work with young people in this department.我发现和这一部门的青年一起工作令人精神振奋。
• The water was cold and wonderfully refreshing.水很涼，特别解乏提神。

8 stable   

adj.稳定的；稳固的

参考例句：

• I'm glad she has become such a stable character.我很高兴她变得如此沉稳。
• This chair isn't very stable.这把椅子不大稳固。

9 lower   

adj.较低的；地位较低的，低等的；低年级的；下游的；vt.放下，降下，放低；减低

参考例句：

• Society is divided into upper,middle and lower classes.社会分为上层、中层和下层阶级。
• This price is his minimum;he refuses to lower it any further.这个价格是他开的最低价，他拒绝再作任何降价。

10 flock   

n.羊群，一群，大量；vi.群集，聚集，成群

参考例句：

• A flock of customers were waiting for the store to open.一群顾客在等候着商店开门。
• A few sheep have been lost from the flock.羊群里少了几只羊。

11 burial   

n.埋葬，埋藏，掩埋

参考例句：

• The priest prepared the body for burial.牧师给死者作安葬准备。
• The Premier's burial was a solemn occasion.总理的葬礼是个庄严的场面。